With temperatures hovering in the mid 90's, we decided to take an evening paddle along the Burley Lagoon up to the little stream that flows into it, Burley Creek. The creek is part of a number of water tributaries that combine to make up about nine miles of stream corridor flowing in a southerly direction here. This top image is about as far as we were able to go, by ducking branches and inching along. The water was just a thin little stream, and cold.
As we passed through the overhanging shrubs and trees, suddenly the air cooled down drastically as we rounded a bend. It almost felt like we were in a cave, in a different world.
This is the entrance to Burley Creek from the lagoon. We watched a great blue heron flap up into the air here, with a loud squaaaak'ak'ak'. It provided just the drama we were looking for as we ventured farther and farther into the creek. If you press on the photo image here, you can enlarge it, and see the thin outline of that heron.
Burley Lagoon, at the north end of Carr Inlet, in Puget Sound, is an old commercial shellfish site, with some oysterbed operations. I enjoy looking at all the old shells, piled up along the bank. The water was very clear here, so I was able to do some filming as we paddled along. I also enjoy seeing some of the older homes built on the lagoon years ago. 
The entire paddle back to our 'put-in place' was after sunset, with the most gentle light across the mudflats. They are always quite flat-looking, grey, and mottled, and quite a rich habitat for shorebirds and migrating waterfowl.Puget Sound was one of the first estuaries to join the National Estuary Program (NEP). There is a comprehensive conservation and management plan for the Sound which fixes and prevents on-site sewage system problems, and regulations to protect and restore the shellfish beds.
The mudflats are always affected by the tide. They can extend outward for great distances, creating unstable, slippery mudbanks that we have to negotiate during a paddle. Our goal is not to get the canoe stuck on them or get our boots mired down in them. This was an easy paddle - by the time we got back to our 'put in place', the tide had gone out only four feet, and landing was successful.
